G-WizImage by jurvetsonPrepping the Flight Computers, all from G-Wiz Partners.

The triad bay on the left comes from the heart of my GLR Sledgehammer, and it holds three pods (for redundant flight computers + GPS/RF telemetry).

The blue light is on my shiny new HCX computer, which can take 112 g’s and will log speed and altitude continuously to an mini-SD card so I can get a graph of the flight details afterward. This will be fun for the multiple airstart motors I plan to fly on Saturday for the Brighthawk’s first flight.

The middle pod is a retrofit from my supersonic Firestorm54, which I use in my kevlar-wrapped LOC Expediter with strap-on videocam. It has my old “beater” LCX computer which has a damaged barometric sensor from the various BP explosions it has felt. I chose this one because Saturday's flight will be a bit dodgy with a L730 thermoplastic motor from a Canadian aerospace company in there, and I may never see it again. =)

The bottom pod has a shiny new LCX – with protective epoxy coating this time. It’s in a new avionics bay that I can add to three different 4” airframes (including the Telstar night rocket). This time, I will test it in the LOC IV with an Animal Motor Works sparky motor, and strangely enough, a book for payload (part of a 3rd party marketing campaign).

Your mileage may vary. RocketMavericks cross-tested the reliability and accuracy of dozens of flight computers, and only G-Wiz passed. Here’s a short video of the test harness giving a symphony of beeps out in the Black Rock Desert.

Up Close and Personal (on Vimeo)Image by basykesWe met some roos at Caversham Wildlife Park outside of Perth